Werewolves of film: a brief history of the Hairy One

The Wolf Man

Frank Ockenfels / Universal Pictures

By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer "....shaking, howling, yearning. Get away from the city, run naked through the woods." -- Anonymous Werewolves have captured the public imagination for centuries. Universal hopes to revive worldwide interest in the hairy demons when Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro will re-create the role that launched Lon Chaney Jr.'s career in the remake of "The Wolf Man." Working behind the scenes will be another Oscar winner, makeup artist Rick Baker. Fans are particularly excited by this prospect because of Baker's fame in the annals of werewolf lore. He's the guy who masterminded the modern conception of what a werewolf transformation should look like on film. But he's working off a long and proud tradition of big-screen werewolves.

By Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer "....shaking, howling, yearning. Get away from the city, run naked through the woods." -- Anonymous Werewolves have captured the public imagination for centuries. Universal hopes to revive worldwide interest in the hairy demons when Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro will re-create the role that launched Lon Chaney Jr.'s career in the remake of "The Wolf Man." Working behind the scenes will be another Oscar winner, makeup artist Rick Baker. Fans are particularly excited by this prospect because of Baker's fame in the annals of werewolf lore. He's the guy who masterminded the modern conception of what a werewolf transformation should look like on film. But he's working off a long and proud tradition of big-screen werewolves. (Frank Ockenfels / Universal Pictures)

'Werewolf of London' (1935) Not the first werewolf on film -- that was the silent "The Werewolf" in 1913 -- but it's the first werewolf film still in existence. When Universal's original plan to make "The Wolf Man" with Boris Karloff failed to materialize, the studio made this film about a London botanist who gets attacked by a werewolf. The makeup for this werewolf was not as concealing as later versions of the character, which allowed actor Henry Hull better use of his facial expressions.

'Werewolf of London' (1935) Not the first werewolf on film -- that was the silent "The Werewolf" in 1913 -- but it's the first werewolf film still in existence. When Universal's original plan to make "The Wolf Man" with Boris Karloff failed to materialize, the studio made this film about a London botanist who gets attacked by a werewolf. The makeup for this werewolf was not as concealing as later versions of the character, which allowed actor Henry Hull better use of his facial expressions. (Harry N. Abrams Inc.)